Non-bailable warrant against Birring, Sehgal

PANAJI: The special court on Monday issued a non-bailable warrant against Ruby construction's directors Pradip Singh Birring and Jagdeep Kumar Seghal in the case of the collapse of an under-construction building at Chaudi in Canacona.

A crime branch officer told TOI that a crime branch team would be leaving for Mumbai and Delhi this week in search of the directors. A Margao court has already declared the builders as absconders in the case. The crime branch on Monday continued questioning Deepak Desai and Pradeep Naik, two former chief officers of the Canacona muncipal council (CMC), who are presently serving as additional collector (north) and deputy collector.

A Crime branch officer said that Desai and Naik have been asked to appear on Tuesday before the crime branch. Crime branch sleuths on Saturday conducted raids at nine places and collected evidences in the case. Thirty-one people died at Canacona after Ruby construction's building collapsed on January 4, 2014.

The state government ordered an inquiry into the episode which is yet to be submitted to the government.

Former Quepem deputy collector and SDM Prashant Shirodkar and the building contractor Vishwas Dessai, were further remanded to judicial custody on Monday.